In the near future, a drone pilot sent into a war zone finds himself paired with a top-secret android officer on a mission to stop a nuclear attack.

‘Outside the Wire’ is a new science fiction action thriller released by Netflix, starring Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris as two US marines tasked with trying to stop a global catastrophe. It’s set in 2036 and portrays a world where the Cold War has essentially been restarted but with even higher stakes, with armies now bolstered by robotic soldiers who fight alongside traditional marines. Our viewpoint into this world is Lt. Thomas Harp (Idris), a drone pilot who has been reassigned to the frontline of the war (in Ukraine) after he disobeys a direct order. He is partnered with Mackie’s Leo, an officer who is secretly a highly advanced android super-soldier.

Anthony Mackie is fast becoming the go to man for science fiction movies and television, with this coming after his role in ‘Altered Carbon’ (also on Netflix) and just before the upcoming movie ‘Synchronic‘. He’s good, as is Idris alongside him, but the film is merely serviceable and after a promising opening with some interesting world building, it doesn’t particularly develop its ideas any further. There are some potentially interesting thematic strands introduced around the future of warfare and the consequences of this going forward, but as time goes on, this is mostly forgotten and ‘Outside the Wire’ becomes the generic action thriller I feared it may become. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, but it does mean it’s not likely to linger long in the memory after viewing.

If you’re expecting an intelligent slice of science fiction that will have you thinking, ‘Outside the Wire’ is unfortunately not that movie, but for a reasonably enjoyable futuristic action thriller, it fits the bill and there are certainly worse ways to pass a couple of hours.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Mikael Håfström

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly and Pilou Asbæk

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10451914/